Cellphones: A Necessity for Modern Students - Essay Sample

Introduction

In recent times, cellphones have become more of a necessity than a fancy item. Every young child can be seen carrying a cellphone or a smartphone, either chatting or playing some game. This indicates how the device has become a part and parcel of everyday life. The phones have also become a part of the modern student's life. With the advancements towards a digital era, college students are going to bring cellphones to class irrespective of what is done. Allowing students to use their cellphones in the classroom has been a controversial topic, with some instructors and/or institutions banning the device from class, or sometimes closely monitor their usage. Cellphones are being used to teach and make lessons more interactive and engaging. Therefore, rather than banning them, teachers should get a way of incorporating cell phones into their curriculum to improve the learning environment.

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It is clear that technology is required when learning outside the classroom, especially in cases where remote learning is required or in incidences of flipped classrooms. Moreover, the vast majority of students want to use their smartphones for purposes of academics. A November 2017 survey of 520 students across the United States found out that 75% of students feel that the digital devices improve their effectiveness during class, 94% of students want to use their cellphones for purposes of academics while 41% use googles for answers to questions in class (Himmelsbach, 2018). Cellphones and other mobile devices can enrich learning in a significant manner, so long as they are mindfully implemented in the classroom. Some of the reasons why cellphones should be allowed in class for the case of emergency, it is a subject in school like a computer, they can help to enhance communication and can be used academically.

Cellphones should be allowed in class to help in the event of an emergency. The devices would enable students and parents to communicate in the event of an emergency be it at school or at home. It should be allowed with restricted times of usage, i.e., during break times and out-of-class sessions. The teachers and parents can easily use cell phone technology to monitor their children or students. Parents can use Footprints App to track the location of their children, and such applications can appropriately work on smartphones. Therefore, parents and teachers can easily know when their children are at school or not. According to Baig (2018), safety concerns are a reason to let kids have devices in school. In the event of a tragic incident, the availability of phones would enable parents to get in touch with the kids and vise vasa.

Cellphones facilitate communication with parents and teachers. Other than taking pictures and podcasts, cellphones can be used in educational communication while in the classroom. Teachers can easily communicate with students via text messaging and use mass texting services such as Remind101 to communicate with parents and students. According to Ramey (2012), students can also use online apps to get in touch with their classmates and exchange academic information. Teachers can also use apps such as the Piazza Mobile App to track the student's performance. Teachers can assign course work to their students using the app and students can complete the work and submit using the same application.

Cellphones help to provide additional tools for learning in the classroom. Application of cellphones, tablets and other devices helps to open up a world that provides access to ideas and facts that would be beneficial to the student population. Information can easily be obtained through a quick internet search. There also exist hundreds of educational apps that would enable students to keep in touch with their schedules and coursework. According to "American University" (2018), apps such as Moodle, and Dualingo also enables them to learn new languages. The availability of instructional videos that can easily be accessed via the devices helps students who have difficulty in conceptualizing ideas of taking part in topics such as biology. In doing so, they encourage the practice of active learning in a straight forward manner. Apps and student engagement platforms facilitate learning in a great way. Classroom discussions and quizzes among other active learning ideas can easily be executed in the mobile device and students would be willing to use their devices for such.

Cellphones can also be used to access the internet for research purposes. All smartphones can access the internet, and this would enable students to engage in extensive personal reading. Just like the schools can provide computers in classrooms and free Wi-Fi internet, they should also encourage phone usage and access to educational websites to enhance learning.

Conclusion

To conclude, it is clear that technology is required to enhance learning in the classroom. Cellphones and other mobile devices can enrich learning in a significant manner, so long as they are mindfully implemented in the classroom. Cellphones provide various networks that are designed to connect students, teachers, and parents and it properly implemented would provide an interesting way of learning. Therefore, rather than battling over the use of smartphones in the classroom, instructors should endeavor to change their negative digital mindset and embrace mobile devices as powerful tools that have the potential to revolutionize learning and teaching.

References

"American University" (2018). Should Cell Phones Be Allowed In School? American University." Soeonline.american.edu. Retrieved from https://soeonline.american.edu/blog/cell-phones-in-school

Baig, E. (2018). Cellphones at school: Should your kid have one? Usatoday.com. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/baig/2018/08/14/should-smartphones-allowed-classroom/959154002/

Himmelsbach, V. (2018). Should Cellphones Be Allowed in School? Top Hat. Retrieved from https://tophat.com/blog/should-cellphones-be-allowed-in-school/

Ramey, K. (2012). Cell Phones Allowed In School - 5 Reasons For Allowing Them - Use of Technology. Use of Technology. Retrieved from https://www.useoftechnology.com/cell-phones-allowed-in-school/